2 good 4th places for Abe Norick Abe did two very beautiful races in Valencia, finishing fourth of both heats, and the Japanese star is now 8th overall in the World Championship standings. Good weekend for the Team Yamaha Motor France Ipone with two great results for Norifumi Abe, and also two 12th positions for Shinichi Nakatomi. It is a great occasion for both Japanese riders to earn important points for the World Championship. It is the first time that Nakatomi earns points in the Superbike Championship. Lorenzo Lanzi (who replaced Sébastien Gimbert while the French rider was racing the Le Mans 24 Hours) was not very lucky as he injured his foot during practice. Despite trying hard, the Italian rider from Firenze could not obtain the results he was looking for. “I am very happy with our progression,” says Norifumi Abe. “Our engine is now more efficient and this is good for the future. I had some grip problems in the first race and then I decided to use a harder back tyre for the second heat (going from soft to medium). Of course I am a little disappointed with the first race as I was passed in the last laps of the race. But overall this weekend is very positive because from now on I know I can fight for the podium.” “I am progressing,” explains Shinichi Nakatomi. “These points are important for me. Our Yamaha R1 is better and better. I am still discovering the Superbike World Championship and the level is very high. Our evolution is very positive and we go in the right direction.” “This weekend has been very good for us,” says team-manager Martial Garcia. It shows that we are working in the right direction. Our bikes are good. Our period of doubt is now over. After a lot of thinking and many test sessions, we now have the right settings for the chassis and the engine. The tests at Misano and the races in Valencia confirmed that we are going in the right direction. I would like to thank all the people who believe in us, our riders and our staff.” Race 1: 1- Bayliss (Ducati), 2- Corser (Suzuki), 3- Lanzi (Ducati), 4-Abe (Team Yamaha Motor France Ipone), 5- Haga (Yamaha)”¦ 12- Nakatomi (Team Yamaha Motor France Ipone) Race 2: 1- Bayliss (Ducati), 2- Corser (Suzuki), 3- Lanzi (Ducati), 4-Abe (Team Yamaha Motor France Ipone), 5- Haga (Yamaha)”¦ 12- Nakatomi (Team Yamaha Motor France Ipone) World Championship standings: 1- Bayliss (125 points ), 2- Corser (103), 3- Toseland (86), 4- Haga (64), 5- Barros (62)”¦ 8- Abe (40)”¦ 20- Nakatomi (8) 4h round of the Supersport World Championship: May 7th at Monza (Italy)